Protective case for electronic device

ABSTRACT

A protective case for use with an electronic device includes a first case portion having an attached first resilient compressible pad and a second case portion having an attached second resilient compressible pad. The second case portion is configured to be removably attachable to the first case portion. The attached first and second case portions define an aperture for directly accessing a front of the installed electronic device. The aperture has dimensions greater than or equal to corresponding dimensions of the electronic device. The first and second resilient compressible pads are each configured to be compressed by opposing sides of the installed electronic device. The first and second resilient compressible pads are further configured to apply opposing forces to the opposing sides of the installed electronic device, respectively, to retain the installed electronic device in the protective case.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/620,714, filed on Jan. 23, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to cases, covers, and/or encasements foruse with electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Portable electronic devices are commonly used for communication andentertainment purposes. Portable electronic devices include devices suchas smartphones, cellular phones, mobile communication devices,computers, portable computing devices, mobile computing devices, tabletcomputers, cameras, video players, smart watches, audio players,electronic media readers, two-way radios, global positioning satellite(GPS) devices, measurement instruments, and/or other types ofelectronic, computing, or communication devices, including combinationsthereof. Cases, protective cases, covers, protective covers, enclosures,or encasements are sometimes installed on or over housings of thesetypes of electronic devices in order to protect the electronic devicesfrom damage due to exposure to shock, impact, dropping, puncture, dust,dirt, water, snow, rain, mud, chemicals, and/or other potentiallydamaging forces or elements. The term “case” is used herein to refer toany type of case, cover, protective case, protective cover, enclosure,encasement, shell, or combination thereof. Cases are also sometimes usedto supplement the functionality of the device and/or to change theaesthetics of the device.

Over time, the sizes of display screens on electronic devices haveincreased. Bezels around the display screens on the fronts of electronicdevices have grown smaller as the display screens have been extendedcloser to one or more edges of the electronic devices. The shrinking orabsence of bezels makes it more difficult to keep protective casesattached to the electronic devices while still allowing access to thedisplay screen. Improved systems, apparatuses, and methods which solvethese and other problems are disclosed herein.

SUMMARY

In one example a protective case for use with an electronic deviceincludes a first case portion having an attached first resilientcompressible pad and a second case portion having an attached secondresilient compressible pad. The second case portion is configured to beremovably attachable to the first case portion such the attached firstand second case portions at least partially cover the electronic devicewhen the electronic device is installed in the protective case. Theattached first and second case portions also define an aperture fordirectly accessing a front of the installed electronic device. Theaperture has dimensions greater than or equal to correspondingdimensions of the electronic device. The first and second resilientcompressible pads are each configured to be compressed by opposing sidesof the installed electronic device when the second case portion isattached to the first case portion over, on, or around the electronicdevice. The first and second resilient compressible pads are furtherconfigured to apply opposing forces to the opposing sides of theinstalled electronic device, respectively, to retain the installedelectronic device in the protective case.

In another example, a protective case for an electronic device includesa first case portion and a second case portion. The first case portionhas a first compressible pad. The second case portion attaches to thefirst case portion and is adapted to at least partially cover theelectronic device when the electronic device is installed in theprotective case. The second case portion has a second compressible pad.The installed electronic device compresses the first compressible padand the second compressible pad when the second case portion is attachedto the first case portion. The compression of the first and secondcompressible pads is adapted to keep the installed electronic devicefrom coming out of the protective case because of the lateral force thecompressible pads exert on the sides of the electronic device.

Various other embodiments and variations of the disclosed techniques andmethods are possible. While multiple embodiments are disclosed, stillother embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description and figures, which describe and showillustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, theinvention is capable of modifications in various aspects, all withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, thedrawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative innature and not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described and explained through the use ofthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates an electronic device installed in a protective case;

FIG. 1B illustrates the electronic device being installed in theprotective case of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C illustrates a close-up cross-section view of a portion of theelectronic device installed in the protective case of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A illustrates the electronic device installed in a protectivecase;

FIG. 2B illustrates the electronic device being installed in theprotective case of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C illustrates a close-up cross-section view of a portion of theelectronic device installed in the protective case of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 illustrates a protective case;

FIG. 4A illustrates a protective case;

FIG. 4B illustrates a close up view of a portion of the protective caseof FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 illustrates the electronic device installed in a protective case;

FIG. 6 illustrates the electronic device installed in a protective case;

FIG. 7 illustrates the electronic device installed in a protective case;

FIG. 8 illustrates the electronic device installed in a protective case;

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of attaching the electronic device to aprotective case;

FIG. 10 illustrates an attachment mechanism for attaching the electronicdevice to a protective case; and

FIG. 11 illustrates the electronic device being installed in aprotective case.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, various specific details are setforth in order to provide an understanding of and describe theapparatuses and techniques introduced here. However, the techniques maybe practiced without the specific details set forth in these examples.Various alternatives, modifications, and/or equivalents will be apparentto those skilled in the art without varying from the spirit of theintroduced apparatuses and techniques. For example, while theembodiments described herein refer to particular features, the scope ofthis solution also includes embodiments having different combinations offeatures and embodiments that do not include all of the describedfeatures. Accordingly, the scope of the techniques and solutionsintroduced herein are intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims,together with all equivalents thereof. Therefore, the description shouldnot be taken as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined bythe claims.

Some of the cases described herein are described as protective cases.However, the apparatuses and techniques disclosed herein are not to belimited to any particular protective characteristic of the case and maybe applicable to various types of cases, covers, and/or encasementswhich cover an electronic device either partially or fully and may nothave any particular protective characteristic.

FIG. 1A illustrates an electronic device 100 installed in a protectivecase 110. Electronic device 100 may be a cellular phone, smartphone,mobile communication device, mobile computing device, portable computingdevice, tablet, phablet (phone/tablet), portable computer, personalvideo player, electronic media reader, audio player, handheld scanner,camera, GPS device, or electronic computing or communication device ofanother type, including combinations thereof. In one specific example,electronic device 100 may be an APPLE IPHONE. In another specificexample, electronic device 100 may be a SAMSUNG GALAXY phone.

Protective case 110 comprises any type of protective shell, cover,covering, enclosure, bumper, frame, sheath, encasement, member, and/or acombination thereof used with the electronic device 100. Protective case110 may provide protection against forces or damaging elements such asshock, impact, dropping, puncture, dust, dirt, heat, cold, water, snow,rain, mud, fluids chemicals, and/or other potentially damaging elements.In various instances, as described in further detail below, protectivecase 110 may be waterproof, watertight, and/or water-resistant. In otherexamples, techniques disclosed herein may implemented in the form of acover for electronic device 100 which provides some or all of thefunctions disclosed herein while having little or no protectivecharacteristics.

Protective case 110 may include one member or portion, two members orportions, or more than two members or portions that attach to eachother. Some of these members may be permanently attached to each otherand some of these members may be removably attachable to each other forinsertion and/or removal of electronic device 100 from protective case110. In some situations, protective case 110 may be a one-piece case ora one-piece assembly into which electronic device 100 snaps or slides.In other situations, protective case 110 may contain multiple piecesthat are assembled on, over, or around electronic device 100. Inaddition to an outer shell, protective case 110 may also include one ormore cushion members, cushion layers, cushion liners, and/or cushionportions that are removably attached or permanently attached to anycombination of the one, two, or more members. Any portion of protectivecase 110 may be made of any suitable material, including, but notlimited to, polycarbonate (PC), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), nylon,fiberglass-filled nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ceramic,metallized ceramic, aluminum, aluminum alloy, titanium, wood, carbonfiber, and/or any combination thereof. The techniques disclosed hereinare not to be limited to any particular type, structure, orconfiguration of case.

Over time, the sizes of display screens on electronic devices haveincreased. Bezels around the front edges or perimeter of theseelectronic devices have also grown smaller as the display screens havebeen extended closer to one or more edges of the electronic device. Theshrinking or absence of bezels makes it more difficult to keepprotective cases attached to the electronic devices because there isminimal edge or lip for the case to grasp onto without blocking orobscuring the display. In the example of FIG. 1A, protective case 110may not be able to wrap around a front edge of electronic device 100 toan extent necessary to keep electronic device 100 from falling out ofprotective case 110. In other words, electronic device 100 may not haveenough of a non-display bezel area around one or more perimeter edges ofits front surface for protective case 110 to ‘grab’ or hold onto.Therefore, without the improvements discussed herein, electronic device100 may otherwise fall out of protective case 110 or easily dislodgefrom protective case 110 when protective case 110 is oriented or facingin a downward direction or is subject to impact.

In some examples, the front opening or aperture of protective case 110may have dimensions that are similar to the corresponding dimensions ofelectronic device 100. In some configurations, the dimensions of theopening or aperture may be slightly less than the correspondingdimensions of electronic device 100. In other configurations, thedimensions of the opening or aperture may be substantially the same asthe corresponding dimensions of electronic device 100. In yet otherconfigurations, the dimensions of the opening or aperture may beslightly larger than the corresponding dimensions of electronic device100.

As illustrated in FIG. 1B, protective case 110 includes a first caseportion 112 and a second case portion 114. First case portion 112 andsecond case portion 114 slide over opposing ends of electronic device100 and snap together using a snap feature and/or other attachmentmechanisms. In some examples, the snap feature may include aninterference fit between two or more components. First case portion 112includes a first pad 122 adhered or affixed to an interior wall of firstcase portion 112. Second case portion 114 includes a second pad 124adhered or affixed to an interior wall of second case portion 114. Firstpad 122 and/or second pad 124 are compressible such that one or both areat least partially compressed when first case portion 112 is attached tosecond case portion 114 around or over the housing of electronic device100. First pad 122 and/or second pad 124 are also resilient and/orelastic and tend to recover some or all of their original dimensions orshape when not compressed. First pad 122 and/or second pad 124 may be ofany shape or dimensions. Further each of first case portion 112 andsecond case portion 114 may contain more than one compressible orresilient pad.

The internal dimensions of first case portion 112 and second caseportion 114 correspond to one or more dimensions of electronic device100 such that the case portions cannot be attached without at leastpartially compressing first pad 122 and/or second pad 124. Because firstpad 122 and/or second pad 124 comprise a resilient material thatrecovers some or all of its shape when a compressive force is removed,first pad 122 and/or second pad 124 maintain a force applied against theends of electronic device 100 while electronic device 100 is installedin protective case 110. First pad 122 and second pad 124 oppose eachother such that they contact and apply opposing forces, respectively, toopposing sides of electronic device 100. In some examples, first pad 122and second pad 124 exert force along an axis that is the same, orsubstantially the same, as the axis along which first case portion 112and second case portion 114 are slidably attached to each other.

The force exerted by first pad 122 and/or second pad 124 tends toprevent or reduce the chances of sheer sliding of electronic device 100thereby reducing the chances of electronic device 100 falling out of thefront opening or aperture of protective case 110. In other words, theresilient force from first pad 122 and/or second pad 124 keepselectronic device 100 in protective case 110 even though protective case110 has little or no lip that wraps around a front edge of electronicdevice 100. Beneficially, protective case 110 does not cover or obscurethe display of electronic device 100 and the display remains visibleand/or accessible. At the same time, electronic device 100 stays inplace in protective case 110 despite orientation or possible impact. Oneor both of first case portion 112 and second case portion 114 mayinclude one or more opening or apertures for accessing a camera, aflash, a button, a control feature, an electrical port, a speaker, amicrophone, or some other element of installed electronic device 100from outside the protective case.

FIG. 1C illustrates a close-up cross-section view of one corner ofelectronic device 100 installed in the protective case 110 withelectronic device 100 pressed against first pad 122. In some examples,one or more sides of electronic device 100 may contain a slot or recessfor receiving at least a portion of first pad 122, thereby improving theability of the pads to keep the electronic device 100 inside protectivecase 110.

FIG. 2A illustrates electronic device 100 installed in a protective case210. Protective case 210 may have any of the features, functions,characteristics, or elements of protective case 110. Protective case 210may include one member or portion, two members or portions, or more thantwo members or portions. Some of these members may be permanentlyattached to each other and some of these members may be removablyattachable to each other for insertion and/or removal of electronicdevice 100 from protective case 210. Protective case 210 may alsoinclude one or more cushion members, cushion layers, and/or cushionportions that are removably attached or permanently attached to anycombination of the one, two, or more members. Any portion of protectivecase 210 may be made of any suitable material, including, but notlimited to, polycarbonate (PC), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), nylon,fiberglass-filled nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ceramic,metallized ceramic, aluminum, aluminum alloy, titanium, wood, carbonfiber, and/or any combination thereof. The techniques disclosed hereinare not to be limited to any particular type, structure, orconfiguration of case.

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, protective case 210 includes one or morepieces of sheer reduction material 220 attached to one or more interiorsurfaces of walls of protective case 210. Sheer reduction material 220may be a single piece of material or multiple pieces of material and maybe present on any of the walls of protective case 210. Electronic device100 is inserted into protective case 210 by pressing it into the frontopening. Contact between one or more sides of electronic device 100 andsheer reduction material 220 tends to keep electronic device 100 fromeasily falling or sliding out of protective case 210 by preventing orreducing the possibility of sheer sliding of electronic device 100.Sheer reduction material 220 may be adhered to protective case 210 ormay be molded or comolded into or onto protective case 210. Sheerreduction material 220 may sit above a surface of the wall of protectivecase 210 or may be placed or formed in a recess or channel asillustrated in FIG. 2C. Sheer reduction may also be achieved by applyinga coating or surface treatment to another material.

FIG. 3 illustrates a protective case 310. Protective case 310 may haveany of the features, functions, characteristics, or elements of any ofprotective cases 110 and 210. The techniques disclosed herein are not tobe limited to any particular type, structure, or configuration of case.Protective case 310 includes one or more pieces of vinyl 320 attached toone or more interior surfaces of walls of protective case 310. Vinyl 320may be a single piece of material or multiple pieces of material and maybe present on any of the walls of protective case 310. An electronicdevice is inserted into protective case 310 by pressing it into thefront opening of the case. Contact between one or more sides of theelectronic device and vinyl 320 tends to keep the electronic device fromeasily falling or sliding out of protective case 310 by preventing orreducing the possibility of sheer sliding movement of electronic device100. Vinyl 320 may be adhered to protective case 310 or may be molded orcomolded into or onto protective case 310.

FIG. 4A illustrates a protective case 410. Protective case 410 may haveany of the features, functions, characteristics, or elements of any ofprotective cases 110, 210, and 310. The techniques disclosed herein arenot to be limited to any particular type, structure, or configuration ofcase. Protective case 410 includes one or more pieces of grip material420 attached to one or more interior surfaces of walls of protectivecase 410, including on the internal back surface of protective case 410.Grip material 420 may be any material or material structure have surfacefeatures that tend to increase grip or friction with a device that comesinto contact. FIG. 4B illustrates a close-up view of a surface structureof grip material 420. Other structures are possible.

Grip material 420 may be a single piece of material or multiple piecesof material. An electronic device is inserted into protective case 410by pressing it into the front opening. Contact between one or more ofthe sides and back of the electronic device and grip material 420 tendsto keep the electronic device from easily falling or sliding out ofprotective case 410 by preventing or reducing the possibility of sheersliding of the electronic device out of the front aperture or opening.Grip material 420 may be adhered to protective case 410, may be formedonto a surface of protective case 410, or may be formed as part ofprotective case 410. In some cases, grip material 420 may be formed inor as part of an injection molding process. In another variation, gripmaterial 420 may be formed in a surface of a cushioning material that isprovided in protective case 410 for cushioning an installed electronicdevice.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of electronic device 100 installed ina protective case 510. Protective case 510 may have any of the features,functions, characteristics, or elements of any of protective cases 110,210, 310, and 410. The techniques disclosed herein are not to be limitedto any particular type, structure, or configuration of case. It shouldbe understood that the features and elements presented in the figuresare herein are presented for purposes of explaining various concepts andmay not be drawn to scale and/or in relative proportion to each other.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, protective case 510 has little or no abilityto retain electronic device 100 in protective case 510 through use of alip, finger, or edge that wraps around a front edge of electronic device100. This may be because electronic device has little or no bezel on itsfront surface. Instead, a pad 520 is used to temporarily or permanentlyadhere electronic device 100 into protective case 510. Pad 520 isadhered or affixed to protective case 510 through first adhesive layer524. Electronic device 510 is adhered or affixed to pad 520 throughsecond adhesive layer 522. Each of first adhesive layer 524 and secondadhesive layer 522 may comprise any one or more types of adhesives orglue. At least one of first adhesive layer 524 and second adhesive layer524 may be semi-permanent or temporary such that electronic device 100can be removed from protective case 510 when needed. In some situations,at least one of first adhesive layer 524 and second adhesive layer 524may be reusable such that electronic device 100 can be replaced intoprotective case 510 after being removed one or more times. In othercases, at least one of first adhesive layer 524 and second adhesivelayer 524 may comprise a permanent adhesive or attachment mechanism.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross section of electronic device 100 installed ina protective case 610. Protective case 610 may have any of the features,functions, characteristics, or elements of any of protective cases 110,210, 310, 410, and 510. The techniques disclosed herein are not to belimited to any particular type, structure, or configuration of case.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, protective case 610 has little or no abilityto retain electronic device 100 in protective case 610 through use of alip, finger, or edge that wraps around a front edge of electronic device100. Instead, one or more suction features 620, such as suction cups,may be used to removably hold electronic device 100 in protective case610 using tensile retention force. Protective case 610 may contain anynumber, size, or type of suction features, including combinationsthereof. While suction features 620 are relatively large in FIG. 6 forillustration purposes, they may be much smaller and may exist in greaternumbers. In some situations, they may cover all of the back surface ofprotective case 610. In other situations, they may cover only a portionof the back surface of protective case 610. In yet other configurations,section features may be adhered or otherwise attached to the back of theelectronic device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross section of electronic device 100 installed ina protective case 710. Protective case 710 may have any of the features,functions, characteristics, or elements of any of protective cases 110,210, 310, 410, 510, and 610. The techniques disclosed herein are not tobe limited to any particular type, structure, or configuration of case.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, protective case 710 has little or no abilityto retain electronic device 100 in protective case 710 through use of alip, finger, or edge that wraps around a front edge of electronic device100. Instead, a first magnetic material 722 and second magnetic material724 may be used to removably retain electronic device in protective case710. First magnetic material 722 may be permanently or semi-permanentlyattached to electronic device 100 while second magnetic material 724 maybe permanently or semi-permanently attached to protective case 710. Oneor both of first magnetic material 722 and second magnetic material 724may be magnetized. In other words, one may be metallic while the otheris actually magnetized. In one variation, protective case 710 may bemade of or include a magnetic material and second magnetic material 724may not be needed or used. In another variation, the back surface ofelectronic device 100 may be made of or include a magnetic material andfirst magnetic material 722 may not be needed or used.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross section of electronic device 100 installed ina protective case 810. Protective case 810 may have any of the features,functions, characteristics, or elements of any of protective cases 110,210, 310, 410, 510, 610, and 710. The techniques disclosed herein arenot to be limited to any particular type, structure, or configuration ofcase.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, protective case 810 has little or no abilityto retain electronic device 100 in protective case 810 through use of alip, finger, or edge that wraps around a front edge of electronic device100. Instead, a first fastener material 822 and second fastener material824 may be used to removably retain electronic device in protective case810. First fastener material 822 may be permanently or semi-permanentlyattached to electronic device 100 while second fastener material 824 maybe permanently or semi-permanently attached to protective case 810.First fastener material 822 and second fastener material 824 may be anymaterials which can removably attach, adhere, or clasp to each other. Inone example, first fastener material 822 and second fastener material824 may be complementary materials, such as hook and loop fastenermaterials, that removably attach to each other to retain electronicdevice 100 in protective case 810.

FIG. 9 illustrates a protective case 910 that is removably attachable toelectronic device 100. Protective case 910 may have any of the features,functions, characteristics, or elements of any of protective cases 110,210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, and 810. The techniques disclosed hereinare not to be limited to any particular type, structure, orconfiguration of case.

In FIG. 9, a plate 920 is attached, permanently or semi-permanently, toa back surface of electronic device 100. Plate 922 includes one or moresnap features 922. Snap features 922 are complementary to and interfaceto one or more corresponding snap features 912 on protective case 910for removably retaining or attaching protective case 910 to electronicdevice 100. Snap features 912 and/or 922 may include a friction fitand/or an interference fit.

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross section of electronic device 100 installedin a protective case 1010. Protective case 1010 may have any of thefeatures, functions, characteristics, or elements of any of protectivecases 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, and 910. The techniquesdisclosed herein are not to be limited to any particular type,structure, or configuration of case.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, protective case 1010 has little or no abilityto retain electronic device 100 in protective case 1010 through use of alip, finger, or edge that wraps around a front edge of electronic device100. Instead, electronic device 100 is held in protective case 1010using a protective glass screen 1030. Protective glass screen 1030 alsoallows electronic device 100 to be operated and visible throughprotective glass screen 1030. Protective glass screen 1030 may compriseruggedized or fortified glass. Although protective glass screen 1030 isdescribed as ‘glass,’ in other examples, protective glass screen 1030may be made of a transparent, or mostly transparent, material other thanglass. Protective glass screen 1030 is held in place by a lid 1020 whichextends around some or all of the perimeter of protective glass screen1030. Lid 1020 attaches, adheres, clasps, engages, and/or snaps onto oneor more clasping mechanisms or connection features on protective case1010 and may be removable. In some configurations, protective case 1010,lid 1020, and/or protective glass 1030 may form a water-resistant orwaterproof enclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates electronic device 100 being installed in aprotective case that includes a first case portion 1112 and a secondcase portion 1114. Protective case portions 1112 and 1114 may have anyof the features, functions, characteristics, or elements of any ofprotective cases 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, 910, and 1010.The techniques disclosed herein are not to be limited to any particulartype, structure, or configuration of case.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, protective case portions 1112 and 1114 areinstalled over electronic device 100 from two opposing sides by slidingthem toward each other. They hold or contain electronic device 100,substantially or completely, from the sides. Fasteners 1120 are used toremovably attach case portions 1112 and 1114 together to retain andprotect electronic device 100. Fasteners 1120 may each be any type offastener, screw, clasp, snap, clasping mechanism, clip, hook, orretention device. In some examples, one of fasteners 1120 may bedifferent or have different features than another of fasteners 1120.

Each of fasteners 1120 may be a single component or may comprisemultiple components. Each of fasteners 1120 may be a separate componentfrom case portions 1112 and 1114. Alternately, all or some portion ofeach of fasteners may 1120 may be a part of or may be contained in oneor both of case portions 1112 and 1114. In some configurations, bothcase portions may contain complementary fasteners. One of the caseportions, case portion 1114 in the example of FIG. 11, may contain oneor more access features 1130 for accessing one or more of fasteners1120. Access feature 1130 may be a channel, a recess, a hole, a cutout,a slot, or any feature for improving access to fastener 1120. In oneexample, access feature 1130 may be a recess for accessing a head of afastener that comprises fastener 1120. Other configurations arepossible.

While many examples of protective cases and method of installing orattaching them are disclosed herein, it should be understood that thefeatures of any of the protective cases or attachment features ormethods may be combined. In any of the examples, additional pads,cushions, cushioning members, compressible materials, membranes,resilient materials, tacky materials, sticky materials, and/or grippymaterials may be used.

The elements, components, and steps described herein are meant toexemplify some types of possibilities. In no way should theaforementioned examples limit the scope of the invention, as they areonly exemplary embodiments.

The phrases “in some embodiments,” “according to some embodiments,” “inthe embodiments shown,” “in other embodiments,” “in some examples,” “inother examples,” “in some cases,” “in some situations,” “in oneconfiguration,” “in other situations,” “in another configuration,” andthe like generally mean that the particular technique, feature,structure, or characteristic following the phrase is included in atleast one embodiment of the present invention and/or may be included inmore than one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, suchphrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or to differentembodiments.

The foregoing disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. Other modifications and variations may be possible inview of the above teachings. The embodiments described in the foregoingdisclosure were chosen to explain the principles of the concept and itspractical application to enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the invention. It is intended that the claims be construed toinclude other alternative embodiments of the invention except as limitedby the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective case for an electronic device, theprotective case comprising: a first case portion; a first resilientcompressible pad attached to the first case portion; a second caseportion configured to be removably attachable to the first case portionsuch the attached first and second case portions at least partiallycover the electronic device when the electronic device is installed inthe protective case, the attached first and second case portionsdefining an aperture for directly accessing a front of the installedelectronic device, the aperture having dimensions greater than or equalto corresponding dimensions of the electronic device; and a secondresilient compressible pad attached to the second case portion, whereinthe first and second resilient compressible pads are each configured tobe compressed by opposing sides of the installed electronic device whenthe second case portion is attached to the first case portion over theelectronic device, and wherein the first and second resilientcompressible pads are configured to apply opposing forces to theopposing sides of the installed electronic device, respectively, toretain the installed electronic device in the protective case.
 2. Theprotective case of claim 1 wherein the second case portion is slidablyattachable to the first case portion along an axis.
 3. The protectivecase of claim 2 wherein the first and second resilient compressible padsare each configured to be compressed by opposing sides of the installedelectronic device along the axis and configured to apply the opposingforces to the opposing sides of the installed electronic device alongthe axis.
 4. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the first caseportion includes a first attachment mechanism and the second caseportion includes a second attachment mechanism, wherein the first andsecond attachment mechanisms interface to removably attach the secondcase portion to the first case portion.
 5. The protective case of claim4 wherein the first and second attachment mechanisms have aninterference fit.
 6. The protective case of claim 1 wherein one of thefirst case portion and the second case portion includes an openingconfigured for providing access to a camera of the installed electronicdevice from outside the protective case.
 7. The protective case of claim1 wherein one of the first case portion and the second case portionincludes an opening configured for providing access to an electricalport of the installed electronic device from outside the protectivecase.
 8. The protective case of claim 1 wherein one of the first caseportion and the second case portion includes a third resilientcompressible pad.
 9. The protective case of claim 1 wherein each of thefirst resilient compressible pad and the second resilient compressiblepad includes a gripping material on a surface configured to contact theinstalled electronic device.
 10. The protective case of claim 1 whereinthe electronic device includes recesses for receiving at least a portionof the resilient compressible pads, respectively.
 11. A cover for usewith an electronic device, the cover comprising: a first cover portionhaving a compressible pad; and a second cover portion adapted to beremovably attachable to the first cover portion such the attached firstand second cover portions at least partially cover a housing of theelectronic device when the electronic device is installed in the cover,wherein the attached first and second cover portions define an aperturefor directly accessing a front surface of the installed electronicdevice, the aperture having dimensions equal to or greater thancorresponding dimensions of the electronic device, wherein the secondcover portion also has a compressible pad, wherein the compressible padsof the first cover portion and the second cover portion are each adaptedto be compressed by opposing sides of the installed electronic devicewhen the electronic device is installed in the cover, and wherein thecompressible pads are each adapted to apply opposing forces to theopposing sides of the installed electronic device, respectively, toretain the installed electronic device in the cover.
 12. The cover ofclaim 11 wherein the first cover portion includes a first attachmentmechanism and the second cover portion includes a second attachmentmechanism, wherein the first and second attachment mechanisms interfaceto removably attach the second cover portion to the first cover portion.13. The cover of claim 12 wherein the first and second attachmentmechanisms interface to provide a snap attachment mechanism between thefirst cover portion and the second cover portion.
 14. The cover of claim11 wherein one of the first cover portion and the second cover portionincludes an opening adapted for providing access to a camera of theinstalled electronic device from outside the cover.
 15. The cover ofclaim 11 wherein one of the first cover portion and the second coverportion includes an opening adapted for providing access to anelectrical port of the installed electronic device from outside thecover.
 16. The cover of claim 11 wherein each of the first cover portionand the second cover portion includes a second compressible pad.
 17. Thecover of claim 11 wherein each of the first cover portion and the secondcover portion includes an outer shell and an interior cushioning member.18. The cover of claim 11 wherein the compressible pads are sized tofit, at least partially, into respective recesses on the housing of theinstalled electronic device.
 19. The cover of claim 11 wherein thesecond cover portion is slidably attachable to the first cover portionalong an axis of attachment.
 20. The cover of claim 19 wherein thecompressible pads are each adapted to be compressed by opposing sides ofthe installed electronic device along the axis and adapted to apply theopposing forces to the opposing sides of the installed electronic devicesubstantially along the axis of attachment.